Page 79 of Alien Prince

She would have to go back to wearing her attire from Earth when the vessel first captured her if she wished to learn Fraklious. Honestly, that might assist her in her current endeavor, but the thought quickly leaves my mind as I notice the glow of the bioluminescent torches casting soft light on her features and making her look almost… serene.

Almost.

But I know better. That serenity lasts only until she finds something to question, something to challenge. And she will. She always does.

When the vessel brought her here, I thought I had figured her out. She was supposed to be fragile and timid. The vessel brought another female from a planet, like Earth, that lacks space travel. I thought Emily would be like the other, unable to withstand the complexities of my world. I planned to dismiss her as easily as I dismissed the others.

But Emily is not what I expected.

She is fire wrapped in softness, a contradiction that unsettles me more than I care to admit. Her quick wit is sharp enough to cut, yet there’s a warmth to her, a compassion that challenges everything I thought I knew about Earthlings.

And that’s what makes her dangerous.

I catch myself watching her too often, studying the way her brow furrows in concentration or the way her lips press together when she’s about to argue with me. It’s infuriating. Fascinating. And utterly inappropriate.

She looks up suddenly, her gaze meeting mine. I don’t have time to look away, and we’re locked in a silent standoff. Her eyes, so unlike the glowing violet of my people, are filled with something I can’t quite name. Curiosity? Determination? Or maybe something else…

“Are you going to keep glaring at me,” she asks, tilting her head, “or are you actually going to help me understand this?”

Her tone is challenging, but there’s no malice in it. It’s just… her. Direct. Unapologetic.

I stand and cross the room, stopping beside her. She holds up the text, pointing to a passage written in ancient Erythosian script. “This part doesn’t make sense,” she says, glancing up at me. “It says something about lineage being bound to the stars. What does that mean?”

I hesitate. “It means our bloodlines are sacred,” I say carefully. “Our ancestors believed they were written into the fabric of the universe, their destinies tied to the stars.”

She frowns, her gaze dropping back to the page. “That’s… beautiful, I guess, but also kind of sad. Like you don’t get a choice in anything.”

I stiffen. “It is not sad,” I say, my tone sharp. “It is tradition. Purpose.”

Her brow furrows again, and I know what’s coming before she even says it. “Purpose is great,” she says softly, “but what happens when your purpose isn’t what you want? Doesn’t that make you feel… trapped?”

Her words strike deeper than I expect, and I have to look away. How does she do that? How does she see through the walls I’ve spent years building and strike at the heart of truths I barely acknowledge myself?

I can’t decide if I want to protect her or push her away. The thought of her navigating this world alone, vulnerable to the dangers she doesn’t yet understand, fills me with a fierce, possessive need to shield her.

But then she says things like this—things that make me question, make me feel—and I want nothing more than to send her back to Earth before she destroys the control I’ve fought so hard to maintain.

“Kael?” Her voice pulls me back, and I realize she’s watching me again, her expression curious but not unkind.

I clear my throat, forcing my tone back to indifference. “You ask too many questions,” I say, stepping back. “Focus on the text.”

Her lips twitch, almost as if she’s holding back a smile. “Fine,” she says, turning back to the page.

But I can still feel her presence, her fire, and I know this battle is far from over.

Chapter Seven

Emily

Since the storm, I’ve had no choice but to accept that all of this is real. The rain, the thunder, the way the walls seemed to shake with every strike of lightning… but even more than that, Kael, this place, the vessel… All of this has been far too vivid and visceral to be anything but reality.

I’m stuck here, on a planet I don’t understand, surrounded by people who see me as nothing more than an intergalactic import. I don’t know if I’ll ever get back to Earth, and that thought sits heavy in my chest, a weight I can’t shake no matter how hard I try.

But if I’m here—if this is my life now—then I have to survive.

And survival means playing the part.

Which is why I’m doing everything I can to make sure Kael has no reason to get rid of me.

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